The Supreme Court on Monday rejected Republican challenges to court-drawn congressional maps set to be used in elections this year in Pennsylvania and North Carolina.
In the Pennsylvania case, voters had challenged the use of a court-issued congressional map for federal elections.
Represented by a lawyer from America First Legal Foundation, they argued the state legislatures — not the courts or state officials — are in charge of drafting congressional maps.
Without comment, the high court declined to take up the case.
Similarly, Republican lawmakers in North Carolina also challenged a court-drawn map to be used in the 2022 elections.
Led by North Carolina House Speaker Timothy K. Moore, they charged allowing courts to issue congressional maps over a state legislature ran afoul of the Constitution.
The court declined to take up that case too, but three justices appointed by Republican presidents disagreed with their colleagues.
Justice Samuel Alito authored a dissent, joined by Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Neil Gorsuch. He said if the high court didn’t act blocking the court-drawn map, the challengers could be irreparably harmed.
“They will be deprived of their constitutional prerogative to draw the congressional map in their State,” he wrote.
Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh wrote a separate opinion agreeing with the court’s decision not to block the map in the North Carolina case, but he said the issue was an important one for the court to resolve after thorough briefing — just not at this stage in the litigation.
“It is too late for the federal courts to order that the district lines be changed for the 2022 primary and general elections,” he wrote.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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